Another P.K.Dick classic. It's been adapted to other media (think Terminator) which will give the reader a leg up on figuring out the ending. But it's still a great read about the hubris of the human race and what happens when our war creations turn against us.

Good short story about how when the vast inhospitable loneliness of the universe and our tenuous small (and somewhat arrogant) human intelligences meet, it's not a mystery who is dominated.

Well, no adventure on the high seas and not so much in this pulp adventure of parallel worlds. (the other is on the far side of the sun with the same rotation period so we can't see it). It's different; sort of like the world was like when the mongols ruled much of Asia and Europe. Warring tribes, and lots of injustice there from a nasty ruler. Wizard sends man to earth to be safe and return to straighten out the situation and avenge the destruction of his society by the bad ruler. Goes back, finds girl, Gets help (the golden apes), confronts the baddie. All Ok.

Agree with the prior reviewer. An Ok read for a pulp adventure given somewhat tenuous ties between reader and characters, and a not too tacked down story line.

On a planet with strange humanoids and animals that are apparently sexless, a farmer goes off hunting an animal that is eating his valuable crops. The natives warn him that the "cytha" has never been hunted successfully, however, he has confidence in his hunting ability and tracks it off in the wild. But the Cytha has a big suprise in store for him.
This is a fun and clever story with droll humor and more than one suprise. Good read.

Well, we're heading that way. Computers calculating the odds of winning a war, and governments reacting to constantly improve the odds. Earth in the future has discovered she is ringed in by the decadent Alpha Centauri empire which is stifling expansion. If the odds get good enough, Earth can attack Alpha and break out to expand. They are in the process of making a giant bomb to completely eliminate the Alphas. Odds are looking better with this bomb.
Into that mix comes an earth man from the past who is an idiot savant at fixing any electronic circuit and making it work. the computer war odds become confused by this "Variable Man." A giant furball erupts beween the government who wants to eliminate him to stabilize the odds, and scientists who want to protect and use him.

Good twist to the ending. A suspension of some disbelief is necessary to accept the uncanny talents of the variable man.

Good story;
A make up artist who applies semi-permanent skin (usually to disguise criminals) is given a new synthetic skin himself after an "autobath accident scalds him." But the new skin has another agenda than just acting like a protective pelt. How do you escape your own double crossing skin?

Think "Avatar" for this novella. I suspect Cameron got some of his ideas for the film from this story.

I slipped a cog here. I should have given this story at least 3 stars.

This is like a romance novel with annoying characters constantly thwarting each other. The protagonist can't decide whether she is angry or happy about turning into a fairy. The dialogue is ponderous and confusing. On many occasions, information is withheld from a character by another for no apparent reason. And just like in a romance novel there are more or less constant descriptions of the protagonist's and other character's bodily responses to their volatile emotions. I got really tired of hearing "she felt her heart pounding or "he hummed with tension" or "air became a physical thing as it wrapped around my throat" etc..." Practically every page.
Pretty good story line and world creation, but falls way short of it's potential in my view because of the soap opera style dialogue.